Message from the PAOF Chair.

Dear Colleagues,

Pan-American Research Day is all about providing opportunities for Young Ophthalmologists and Researchers. In 2002, Dr. Rubens Belfort Jr. approached ARVO to partner in creating new course which would encourage research in the Americas and would provide a new venue for Young Ophthalmologists and Researchers to present their work in English, Spanish or Portuguese. That same year Nelson Marques of Allergan International pledged an educational grant to support this meeting. This support continues to this day.

I would like to thank our partners for this dynamic meeting: ARVO for co-sponsoring this event, Allergan for supporting the meeting with an educational grant and the University of British Columbia where the meeting will be taking place.

Thank you!! I thank the visionaries who created this course and established a very important annual tradition.

Jorge Valdez MD
Chair, Pan-American Ophthalmological Foundation